3D part duplication

Scan any object and get a file for 3d printing

If your project involves duplicating an existing part and 3d printing another one, we can help. We can capture a 3D scan of the part, create a 3D print file and modify it if needed. You can blow things up, shrink things down, add or change features, the sky is the limit.

Do You need a 3D file created?

If you don’t have a 3D file already, it is no problem. Our in-house reverse engineering team can create them. for you.

Do You need something very large?

If you need to print an 8-foot turbine blade or an airplane fuselage, we’re the ones to call. In fact we can scale any digital model to any size you want.

Do you have nee for an unusual material?

There are many materials available for 3D printing, so many that it is hard to keep track of these days. If we don’t have it, we know where to get it. If you aren’t sure which one is best for your application, we’ll be glad to help you figure it out.

Do You just want a helping hand?

We love supporting our customers to accomplish their goals using 3D scanning and 3D printing. You’ll pay a little more than if you “do it yourself”, but with Arrival 3D customers, money is usually not the only consideration. We have assisted customers on many successful projects including:

What if you have never used 3D printing services before?

While it may seem intimidating at first, in fact many of our new customers are new to 3D printing services. Technical knowledge about 3D printing is not a prerequisite! There are really only a few things you need to get started. You need to have a clear idea what you want to achieve, a little bit of money and a digital 3D model file. If you don’t have a digital file, we can create one for you. STL is the format used by most 3D printers, but we can accept other formats and convert it for you in most cases. There are a variety of ways to create a digital 3D model file:

If you have a physical part, we can scan it to create the STL file.

We can convert your CAD model into an optimized 3D printer file.

If you have sketches or drawings, we can create one from those.

3D Printing service Options

There are many options available to you when ordering a 3D-printed part:

How big do you want it? Parts can be made larger or smaller than their original size.

What type of material do you need? ABS plastic (the same thing Legos are made of) is a common choice.

What color do you want?

Does the part need to have strength for functional use, or is it just for display purposes?

Can the part be hollow, or does it need to be solid inside?

Do you want to make any changes to the part’s shape?

How smooth does the surface finish need to be?

Do you want to print multiple parts together as an assembly, or parts that fit together a certain way?

Based on your requirements, we can recommend the best 3d printing service technology to achieve your goals in an economical way. We can also provide information on material properties (strength, heat tolerance, etc) and brochures with material spec sheets.

If have your own printer and just need help preparing the STL file, we would be glad to support you in that way. Click here for more information on STL File Preparation for 3D Printing.

We have highly experienced CAD modelers who can model any object that you are wanting to 3D print. We can also capture the shape of any object that you send us using our expert 3D Scanning Services.Call today to find out how we can print 3D objects for your business.

3D Printing Materials

There are many material options available for 3D printing services and many more compelling options under development. These materials offer diverse

physical characteristics for applications ranging from low cost form studies through limited production & highly structural components. Resins can

feature a wide range of properties from soft/hard through elastic. These formulations can incorporate materials like glass, ceramic or wood, and

incorporate mechanical properties like high heat or impact resistance. In metal 3D printing services, at this time, metals/alloys with strongly ferromagnetic

properties are not available. Like most plastics components manufactured via traditional processes, plastics utilized in 3D printing services are susceptible to

degradation from UV exposure over time.

multi-material 3d printing

Already, multi-material & multi-color 3D printing services are available to us in the form of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) devices, although at this time desktop printers remain somewhat limited overall in respect of material properties and scale. On an industrial level multi-material 3D Printing is developing rapidly due to increased interest from manufacturers focussed upon rheology (solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applied force), superior mechanical properties, and various thermal ranges.

Multi-material 3D printing services heralds entirely new horizons to the future capabilities of 3D Manufacturing technologies. The ability to be able ability to beable to produce items featuring plastic, rubberized/elastic (flexible) and possibly metallic properties simultaneously in one manufacturing process is fascinating.

Stereolithography was developed by Dr. Hideo Kodama and it was first patented in 1986. SLA is recognized as the first 3D Printing process and it remains a very important process today.

Vat polymerization is a process in which photo-polymer resin is selectively cured within a vat by a light source. There are variations on this theme, the most well known forms being Stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP). SLA and DLP resin 3D Printers are utilized for high-accuracy, highly uniform production in a wide range of materials with high resolution and fine finish. The costs associated with these technologies are becoming increasingly affordable over time.

SLA and DLP 3D printers are very similar in operation, the principal difference being the curing light source employed. SLA 3D Printers use a Solid

State Laser which cures resin upon a moving build platform within a resin tank on a point by point basis. DLP Printers utilize a digital projector screen

to flash an image of a layer across the entire platform, curing all points simultaneously. The 3D image projection via DLP is composed of square pixels

called voxels. Once a layer is completed, the platform within the vat moves a layer thickness, typically 25 to 100 microns (in the Z axis), and a

subsequent layer is solidified by the laser. This continues until the entire object is completed and the platform can be raised out of the vat for removal

of excess resin. Some functional materials like engineering or biocompatible parts also require post-curing. Both SLA and DLP resin 3D printers are

among the most accurate and precise 3D printing processes.

Print speeds for SLA & DLP are somewhat comparable, but DLP is faster for larger parts because the DLP Projector “flash” hardens an entire layer in

one step. The most recent development in this technology is Low Force Stereolithography (LFS). LFS 3D printing reduces the forces exerted on parts during the

print process, and delivers even greater definition and surface finish while lower print forces enable lighter, and more easily removed, support

structures. Both SLA & DLP are especially useful for certain types of parts because the process is not limited by requirements such as draft angles and undercuts

that define part design by traditional processes. As a result, parts which might previously have been assembled from 2 or 3 pieces can be produced in

Material extrusion is the most widely used, inexpensive & accessible form of 3D Printing. The process, referred to as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), feeds plastic filament into a heated printhead where it’s melted & extruded in predetermined paths onto a print bed. Thermoplastic filaments are supplied on spools. Typical layer height used in FDM varies between 50 and 400 microns and, layer by layer, a component is formed. Various structural properties can be achieved per the plastic filaments chosen but key to structural integrity in larger parts is “line adhesion”. Line adhesion reflects the degree of melt adhesion of new filament onto existing printed filament and can be affected by the print head capabilities, heated print beds, and the environment temperature. Support structures are sometimes required if a design has, for example, overhanging elements. Components produced via this process have a distinct contoured appearance due to the filament process.

FDM / FFF Materials

Polymer Thermoplastic, PLA and ABS are the two most common FDM materials. Other materials include
Nylon, PETG, TPU and PEI.

Low dimensional accuracy
Visible, contoured layers.
Parts can be subject to warping during the print process.
Most FDM plastics are susceptible to UV degradation.

Powder Bed Fusion (Polymers): Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Polymer powder is first heated in a bin to near melting point. This powder is then swept across a build platform in a very thin layer (typically 100-120 microns) where it is exposed to a C02 Laser which sinters & solidifies a cross section of the component. At this point the build platform moves downward by one layer thickness and the process is repeated layer by layer until a complete part is formed. The excess powder, not solidified by the sintering process, serves as the support structure. The process is very useful for certain types of parts because this process is not limited by the draft angles and undercuts which define part design by traditional processes.

Powder Bed Fusion is a 3D Printing process which utilizes a thermal light source to selectively fuse powdered particles in a bed to progressively create a solid component. This process, which uses Polymer powder, is called Selective Laser sintering (SLS).

Metal Powder Bed Fusion, or “Metal 3D Printing”, is similar to SLS but is adapted to the fusing of metal instead of polymer powders, one layer at a time until a part is created. Each process utilizes a means to introduce a new powdered layer upon the previous but the primary difference between DMLS, SLM and EBM is the means of fusing the powder via targeted heat source.

SLM uses single metal powders of a consistent melting point and fully melts & fuses the particles. DLMS uses alloys of differing melting points that fuse on a molecular level at an elevated temperature. The primary structural difference between the two being density and porosity. Due to the inherently high temperatures applied layer upon layer, methods by which to minimize distortion are utilized including support structures and post processing heat treatment to relieve stresses within the component. Typical layer thickness is 20 – 50 μm. Both SLM and DMLS create dense metal engineering usable parts.

EBM employs a high energy beam to generate fusion between metal particles layer by layer until a part is created, and it is faster than both SLM and DMLS because of its higher energy output. EBM also differs from SLM and DMLS because the process must operate within a vacuum and the metal powder must be conductive.

Small build sizes; Highest price point of all 3D Print technologies.
SLM and DMLS required support structures are not recyclable and drive up costs.

Material Jetting: Drop on Demand (DOD)

Material Jetting is a 3D printing process in which photo-polymer resin, or wax, droplets are selectively cured upon a build plate by a light source. The droplets are deposited in predetermined positions to form a cross section, then cured and the process repeated, layer by layer, until an object takes form. This process lends itself easily to multi-material & multi-color 3D Printing.

The Material Jetting (MJ) process is similar to inkjet printer technology and, while an inkjet printer deposits a single layer of ink, a material jetting device deposits droplets of photopolymer, cured via UV light, layer by layer in order to create a solid part. After each layer is cured, the build platform drops downwards one layer thickness and the process is repeated. Typical layer height used in Material Jetting is 16 – 32 microns. This form of 3D Printing technology operates with rapid, linear deposits of material and is capable of producing multiple models at a comparatively rapid pace. The nature of the process dictates that support structures must be incorporated into 3D Printing which are dissolved post process.

Drop on Demand (DOD) 3D Printing differs from Material Jetting in that it deposits build material and dissolvable support material simultaneously, and deposits material in a point by point manner, more typical of other types of 3D Printing technologies. DOD printers are typically utilized to create molds suited to lost wax or investment casting applications.

Can be employed for tooling and injection molds.
Capable of large parts.

Limitations

Poor mechanical properties so not suited to working prototypes.
Susceptible to UV degradation.

Binder Jetting (BJ)

Binder Jetting is a 3D Printing process where a powder bed of material is selectively bonded via a liquid bonding agent. The process lends itself to materials including metals, sand & ceramics and can accommodate full-color sand through low cost 3D Printed metal parts. Print heads similar to those employed in 2D printers sweep a layer of powder and deposit photosensitive binder droplets which cure via UV light over time until, layer by layer, a component is formed. Once curing is complete, the component is removed from the powder bed and excess powder is removed with compressed air. The process is similar to SLS however utilizing a binder agent instead of heat fusion reduces cost. Binder Jetting enables high dimensional accuracy & complex geometries combined with a smooth surface finish at relatively low cost. The parts are strong and the process allows for multi-material printing in a wide array of materials including metals, plastic transparent and rubberized options.

Up to 2200 x 1200 x 600 mm, generally for sand casting applications.
Due to post-processing, metal parts are recommended to be no longer than 50mm.

Characteristics

Complex geometries at low cost.

Common Applications

Functional metal parts, Full-color Sand Models, Sand Casting Molds.

Benefits

Low-cost; Suited to low to medium batch production.; Functional metal parts.
Metal Binder Jetting is up to 10x more economical than other metal 3D printing processes (DMSL/SLM).
No support structures required.
Metal part warping minimized during room temperature printing, but can occur during post processing.

Limitations

Mechanical properties of metal Binder Jetting are not as good as metal Powder Bed Fusion.

large Format 3D printing

Capabilities for large format 3D Printing services are developing fast with various approaches to realization of projects in a variety of materials. In a very competitive space developers including Norsk Titanium, ExOne, Voxeljet, D-shape and mony more are creating large format 3D Printers based upon Material Extrusion, Fused Filament Fabrication, Direct Metal Laser Sintering, Binder Jetting and Direct Metal Deposition. It will take time to see which of these processes proves most effective and the breadth and scope of projects under development is compelling.

For all your 3D printing services needs, call Arrival 3D!

3d printing services Gallery

Here are some examples of parts that people are creating using 3D printing services:

Mini Engine Block

Threaded Inserts

Compressor Wheel

Clear Plastic Part

Metal Bracket

VeroClear Printing

Color 3D Printing

Engine Covers

Tooling Blocks

Hair Dryer Replica

Earth Moving Tooth

Slot Machine Gears

Complex Mechanisms

Mold part

Motorcycle Part

End Cap Replacement

Mini Wheels

Stained Glass Window

People are innovating in America and are using 3d printing services technology to create new products and opportunities. We look forward to learning about your project and giving you a competitive advantage using 3D technology such as 3D printing and 3D scanning.